Jens Sorensson "James" Yorgason

Other Events and Attributes:

• FindaGrave Memorial ID: 12410300
• _UID: 785036A4C1D943F1968AD4F63802D779E437

Notes:

Son of S?ren J?ransson aka Yorgason and Karna "Caroline" Nilsdotter.

His name at birth was Jons J?ransson.

Along with his parents and older siblings, he departed Sweden in October 1855, to travel to the Utah Territory. His family traveled to Norway, then Denmark, then took a ship to England.

He and his family left Liverpool, England on December 12, 1855 aboard the wooden three-masted ship John J. Boyd, which was full of Mormon immigrants headed for Utah. They arrived in New York on February 14, 1856, and were processed through Castle Clinton on the southern tip of Manhattan Island.

From New York, they took the train west, to the end of the line at Keokuk, Iowa. They stayed and worked in that area until they could afford to continue their travels west to the Utah Territory the following year. While they were in Iowa, the family name was changed to Yorgason, rather than Joransson.

The Yorgason family settled in Fountain Green, Sanpete county, Utah. Later, James' older brother Pehr (Peter) moved to Alberta, Canada.

James married Kjersti "Christena" Johnson as the first of his eight wives. Christena's family was about to move out of Utah, having left the Mormon church due to the perfidy of a local Mormon bishop, and so Christena's elopement with James came as quite a surprise to the families. Christena Johnson's family later settled in Omaha, Nebraska, making their home where the Joslyn Art Museum is now located.

With the support and encouragement of his first wife, he entered into a number of plural marriages. He was named a bishop in the local church. He headed two church missions to Sweden. He became a successful businessman. In addition to other enterprises, he owned a dairy in Salt Lake City.

In the 1890s, when James Yorgason moved to Los Angeles, California from Utah, to avoid federal marshalls who were seeking polygamists, he was unable to convince any of his wives to move to California with him -- such was the amount of trouble that had been brought on the family by the feds. He assumed the name James Y. Johnson. His eldest son with Frances Tilby Yorgason, John William Yorgason, joined him in Los Angeles. They worked together, lived next door to each other, and John William Yorgason also assumed the name Johnson.

"James Yorgason (Joranson), Bishop of Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah, was born May 16, 1847, at Malm?, Malm?hus l?n, Sweden, the son of S?ren J?ranson and Caroline Jensen. He was baptized in 1856 and emigrated to Utah in 1857 with his parents, locating in Moroni, Sanpete county, where he resided until 1884, when he moved to Fountain Green, having been called to preside there as Bishop. He was ordained to that position in 1884, by Francis M. Lyman, and held the position until 1891, when he was released, and moved to California, where he resided for twenty-five years, mostly at Los Angeles. While a resident of Utah he was principally engaged in farming and sheep-raising. Having just returned from California, he died at Fountain Green May 16, 1917.
"During his life he married six wives [sic], namely: Christina Johnson, who bore him nine children; Frances M. Tilby, who was the mother of five children; Amy, who bore him three children; Maria Peterson, who became the mother of two children; Hannah Olsen, who bore him one child, and Catherine, who became the mother of two children.
"Bishop J?ranson filled two missions to Sweden, the first one in 1881-1883, when he presided over the Sk?ne conference, and the other in 1886-1888, when he presided over the Stockholm conference."
(from the LDS Biographical Encyclopedia)

Of his 21 children, only ten sons and two daughters survived disease and mishap to reach adulthood and parenthood. His grandchildren included:

(grandchildren through 1st wife Christena Johnson, n?e Jonsson)
-11 children of daughter Mary Caroline Johanna Yorgason Henrie and Arthur Henrie
-9 children of son James Sanders Yorgason and Ellen Maria Aagard Yorgason
-8 children of daughter Elinor "Nora" Cecelia Yorgason Morgan and James Edward Morgan
-4 children of son Joseph Soren Adam Yorgason and Sybil Stevens Yorgason
-2 children of son Wilford Moroni Yorgason and Mary Luella Larsen Yorgason
-4 children of son Ernest Alonzo Yorgason and Luzean Lamar Stevens Yorgason

(grandchildren through 2nd wife Frances Tilby)
-4 children of son John William Yorgason and Martha Matilda "Mattie" Butts Yorgason
-7 children of son Hyrum Vincent Yorgason and Ida Pernella "Nellie" Anderson Yorgason

(grandchildren through 3rd wife Emma "Amy" Christena Larson, later Draper)
-4 children of son Orson LeRoy Yorgason and Hannah Christine Anderson Yorgason

(grandchildren through 4th wife Maria Lovisa Pehrsson)
-4 children of son Robert Gustaf Yorgason and Laura Melvina Woodland Yorgason
-6 children of son Charles Edward Yorgason and Esther Matilda Erickson Yorgason

(grandchildren through 7th wife Anna Louisa Svederus)
-6 children of son Enoch Yorgason (aka Clifford Nuttall) and Gladys Spry Nuttall

- - - - -

When James [Yorgason] Johnson was living in Los Angeles, after the death of his first wife Christena and before the sudden and total loss of his famous "World's Largest" Pigeon Ranch or Farm in 1914 (see eBay for any number of tourist picture postcards of that business), he married one last time.

His new wife was Gertrude Colby Kimmell Wing, who had been twice widowed. One of her daughters, Mary Gertrude Kimmell, was married to the creator and artist of the famed Dogs Playing Poker paintings. Thus, James Yorgason became the step-father-in-law of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.

In 1917, James Yorgason Johnson contracted septicemia secondary to foot gangrene after stepping on a nail, due to complications of adult-onset diabetes. The larger complication was that his new wife was a devout Christian Scientist, and in deference to her wishes he did not consult a doctor at the time of the injury.

Eventually, as his health failed, his wife Gertrude contacted his family in Wyoming, and arranged for one of his sons and a grandson to bring him back from California to Wyoming. There was a hope that he would benefit from the waters at Thermopolis, Wyoming. Before he could reach Wyoming, he died at his boyhood home in Fountain Green, Sanpete county, Utah, and was buried at the Yorgason Family Cemetery.

At his death, he was survived by his last wife, Gertrude Colby Kimmell Wing Johnson; four former wives (all four wives had sought their divorce); 10 children; and 37 grandchildren. Of his surviving descendants, six children and 24 grandchildren were from his marriage to his first wife, Christena Johnson.

FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12410300

Jens married Christena Johnson in 1867. Christena was born in 1848; died in 1912. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Frances Margaret Tilby in 1875. Frances was born in 1858; died in 1928. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Emma Christena Larson in 1878. Emma was born in 1861; died in 1906. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Maria Lovisa Pehrsson in 1880. Maria was born in 1857; died in 1950. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Catherina Olson in 1883. Catherina was born in 1861; died in 1936. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Hannah Nilsson in 1883. Hannah was born in 1847; died in 1932. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Anna Louisa Svederus in 1888. Anna was born in 1864; died in 1896. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jens married Gertrude H. Colby in 1913. Gertrude was born in 1858; died in 1939. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FindaGrave Memorial ID: 134262045
• _UID: 2EEA6C14B7104BB7B8720F879C80B3C0B014
• Immigration: 18 Feb 1856, New York City, New York, United States; to England and then via Liverpool England on ship 'John J. Boyd' departing 12 Dec 1855 and arriving

Notes:

Soren Joransson was the youngest of six sons born to Joran Pehrsson (1768-1852) and Boel Sorensdatter (1766-1821). His mother died when he was 12 years old.

He married Karna "Caroline" Nilsson on April 23, 1833, when they were both 24 years old. They had seven children, but two died as infants, and one daughter died from a gradual illness while still a teenager (and although she was married for two years, she had no children).

During their move from Sweden to the U.S., through Denmark, then Liverpool, then New York City, then Iowa, then finally to the Utah Territory, the family name changed several times, from Joransson to Jorgensson to Yorganson to Yorgason.

From Soren's four surviving children, he had many grandchildren:

Pehr "Peter" Yorganson married Elna Butler; they had a son (who had 10 children) and a daughter (who had 9 children).

Anna Jorgensson married Sondra Sanders; they had 11 children.

Elna "Ellen" Yorgason married Alexander Paulsen Dahl; they had 9 children.

Jens "James" Yorgason had eight wives, and six of his wives bore him a total of 21 children.

Of Soren Yorgason's 43 grandchildren, most survived childhood and had children themselves.


FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134262045

Soren married Karna "Caroline" Nilsdotter on 23 Apr 1833 in Villie, Skane. Karna was born on 2 Dec 1808 in Villie, Skurups kommun, Sk?ne l?n, Sweden; died on 4 Feb 1877 in Moroni, Sanpete County, Utah, United States; was buried in Moroni City Cemetery, Moroni, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FindaGrave Memorial ID: 61505807
• Name: Karna "Caroline" Nilsson
• _UID: E13026C9A84D45D69FDB68C23CB827A574CA

Notes:

Born at Trunerup, Villie, Skane, Sweden to Nils Jonsson (1767-1852) and Anna Trulsdotter (1767-1836), Karna Nilsdotter was married to Soren Joransson at Villie, Skane on April 23, 1833.

In Skane, they became the parents of

-Pehr Sorensson, later known as Peter Yorganson (1835-1917)
-Anna Sorensdotter (1838-1838)
-Anna Sorensdotter, later known as Anna Sorensson Sanders (1840-1879), twin to Botilda
-Botilda Sorensdotter, later known as Botilda Joransson Larsson (1840-1858), twin to Anna
-Elna Sorensdotter, later known as Ellen Yorgason Dahl (1842-1912)
-Jons Sorensson (1845-1845)
-Jons Sorensson, later known as James Yorgason (1847-1917)

She and her husband were converted from the state religion, Lutheranism, to the Church of Latter Day Saints by LDS missionaries. They were baptized by the LDS missionary Lars Nils Larsson (1826-1892), who later married their daughter Botilda; after Botilda's early death, Mr. Larsson married Botilda's first cousin Pernella.

With her husband and children, and her husband's brother Jons and family, she immigrated to the United States. The family left Sweden in October 1855, traveling first to Denmark, then to England. They left Liverpool, England on December 12, 1855, traveling on the wooden three-masted ship "John J. Boyd". They arrived at New York on February 18, 1856, then traveled to Keokuk, Iowa, where they worked for a year to acquire funding to complete their journey to the Utah Territory.

Their names on the New York passenger list were spelled by the clerk as "Soran Joransen" with "Karna, Peter, Botille, Anna, Elna, and Jens" given Joransen as their surname.

Their names were further changed during their stay in Iowa, where Karna became Caroline and Joransson became Yorgason.

The family settled in Moroni, Utah Territory. There, Caroline raised her family and frequently acted as the local doctor and mid-wife.

Her death was untimely. She went to the corral for the evening milking, and as she approached the cow, the animal suddenly swung its head and she was gored deeply. It was a fatal wound.

Note that the gravesite photo taken at the Yorgason Family Cemetery in Fountain Green shows the gravestone for Karna "Caroline" Yorgason's husband Soren and his second wife Ellen Forsburg. The stone clearly states that Caroline Yorgason was buried in Moroni, and for this reason it is a cenotaph.



FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61505807